Chapter 77 (Fairy Tail Campaign): End in Sight
Short Summary Long Summary Ichigo only remains standing thanks to his insane power and durability, but this is only brief before he collapses to his knees, vomiting blood. Kimimaro looks in horror, cursing about the damage to Orochimaru’s chosen vessel. Zancrow gets up and notices Kimimaro running to the Act, cursing that he doesn’t know when to quit. The Wizard then grins when he sees the clear shot possible on Ichigo, not caring if Kimimaro is caught and thinking he’ll make up an excuse later. Before he can attack, Zancrow is surrounded by several grunts led by Chōza, who yells for the Wizard to stay away from Ichigo, much to Zancrow’s annoyance. When the soldiers stand resolute, Zancrow asks if they think they can go toe-to-toe with a God Slayer, saying it’s their funeral. As Kimimaro makes his way to Ichigo, he’s intercepted by another group of grunts led by Killer. Kimimaro frowns and decides to show The Flower of the Clematis Dance. Bartholomew Kuma makes his way to the immobile Ichigo, asking where the Act would like to go if he could go anywhere. Kuma then calls the question unnecessary, saying Ichigo will be sent to Zeref’s HQ, where he will be transferred to Konton’s palace for a broadcasted execution to destroy Alliance morale. As Kuma swings his palm, he’s stopped by an Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu. Elfman, Akatsuchi, and Millianna appear in front of Ichigo, with former saying it isn’t manly to kick people when they’re down, while the others say the Warlord won’t be let near Ichigo. Kuma surveys his new opponents, revealing no orders to bring them in alive, and wondering about an appropriate strategy. While the three are caught off-guard by the imposing man’s unusual response, Ichigo tells them to get away. Elfman balks at that, saying real men don’t abandon comrades, while Millianna states that if Erza and Kagura wouldn’t run away she won’t either. Kuma states that due to the low threat-level he can just kill them instead of going to the effort of sending them away. After Akatsuchi and Elfman bristle at the demeaning label, Kuma impassively sends a Pad Bomb. The three are able to dodge it while Ichigo is lifted away, and they are all amazed by the damage left by the attack. In response to their question, Kuma explains that he ate the Paw-Paw Fruit to become a Paw-Pad Man, which naturally appeals to Millianna. At that point, Ichigo looks and sees that Yachiru saved him, who asks if he’s okay. After Ichigo gives an affirmative, Yachiru gives Kuma a furious glare, growling that she’ll make him pay for taking Kenny from her. Ichigo gasps at the surprising power, but then remembers she is ranked over Ikkaku and Yumichika, and Kenpachi is not one for nepotism. Yachiru screams that she hates the giant man and joins the other three, and is quickly identified as a low level threat by Kuma. Elfman cracks his knuckles, vowing to show Kuma as wrong, and the others agree. He then transforms with Beast Soul: Weretiger and begins the brawl. Ikkaku reacts with shock and concern when feeling Kenpachi’s Spiritual Pressure vanish. Kumadori, smirking, states that one shouldn’t take their eyes off the enemy before nailing the Soul Reaper with a Lion Drill Pistol. It successfully pierces through Ikkaku’s stomach; with the agent saying his fate is sealed. Ikkaku falls to a knee coughing up blood, and Kumadori states that he should surrender and die with dignity, or resist and accelerate the blood loss. Ikkaku gets back up, raising Hōzukimaru, and states that surrender before death is the ultimate humiliation for Squad 11 members, promising to die fighting. Kumadori frowns at that, telling the Soul Reaper to make peace with his choice and die with dignity. Sakura is stunned at the damage caused by Kuma, even comparing it to Madara and Hashirama at the Valley of the End. Fukuro admits to being scared, saying it’s one thing to hear about the strength of the Seven Warlords, but another to see it in action. When Sakura asks about the Warlords, Fukuro zips his mouth shut, which Sakura yells at him for. Fukuro unzips his mouth, states he is unwilling to share common knowledge, and then proceeds to explain the entire system between the Warlords and the World Government, with Sakura wondering why she had to deal with this idiot. Fukuro decides to end the conversation and vanishes with Shave. He starts picking up speed, and Sakura realizes that the agent is using his sheer mass and velocity to increase his momentum for speed. Fukuro laughs and confirms it before nailing the Ninja with an Owl Thrashing, which is essentially a series of Solid Beasts. Fukuro gloats that the technique is unbeatable, calling himself the master of Shave and the fastest of CP9. Sakura, still taking punches, realizes that she can’t keep up and decides to stop Fukuro’s momentum first. She decides on an attack too powerful to miss. As Sakura raises a fist, Fukuro laughs and calls her an idiot for thinking she can catch him. The Ninja gives a grin, asking if the punch was meant for him. Sakura gathers Chakra, and shatters the ground with a punch. Fukuro trips over one of the fissures, and realizes that his momentum has stopped. Sakura then throws a punch right at the agent’s massive stomach, sending him flying through the air like the ball he is. Once Fukuro lands, Sakura charges with a fight-ending punch at the ready. Once Sakura gets close, Fukuro instinctively puts up Iron Body: Strength. When Sakura feels the pain from the attack, a slightly dazed Fukuro grins as he grabs her arms. Fukuro, deciding he’s run out of options, starts Moonwalking higher and higher. When Sakura tells him to let her go, Fukuro just laughs that this technique will end the Ninja. Fukuro starts spinning and starts coming back to earth with a Super Cartwheel Iron Ball, hoping to smash Sakura into the ground hard enough to turn her into a bloody pulp. Sakura realizes what will happen, but knows she can’t use Jutsu with her hands occupied, and can’t gather enough Chakra to break the grip. Fukuro then yells for Sakura to die as he finally slams into the ground. When the dust clears, Fukuro sees that Sakura is still alive and in one piece (though very bloody and barely conscious). While Fukuro wonders how Sakura survived, a Rock Chūnin (Daichi) and a Quatro Cerberus Wizard (Rhodes) appear. The Ninja explains that he used Earth Style to soften the impact to save Sakura’s life. Fukuro starts raving and yelling that he’ll make them pay, and the two grunts welcome the fight. Neliel stands in shock after Kuma’s devastation, and yells in concern for Ichigo. Jabra laughs at that, asking if that’s her man. Neliel gives a Death Glare to the wolf man, who notices the new look and asks if he touched a nerve. When Neliel moves forward with Sonido, Jabra hardens his Iron Body Kenpo with Armament Haki, which stops the attack. After Jabra finishes gloating, he hardens his claws with Haki and pierces the Arrancar with a Black 10 Finger Pistol. She gasps in pain and instantly regrets letting her emotions get the better of her, comparing it to when Nnoitra attacked her subordinates. She tells herself to have faith others will protect Ichigo and to deal with the wolf-man first. Neliel admits she let her guard down, saying it’s obvious she would react, but pointing out at least she has a heart and emotions, unlike the cruel monster she’s fighting. Jabra chuckles at this, saying he’s actually a nice guy, promising to give a quick, painless death. He calls it a much better offer than the rest of CP9 (aside from the focused Blueno), who would torture her just for the fun of it. Jabra then says it’s her funeral. Berenice calls out to her Soldat, and says she has a question. When the one in the lead protests they would rather not answer, Berenice states she’s not going to hurt them. She asks if Jozu and Vista are really as strong as Intel indicated, pointing to the two clutching their heads and crying in terror on the ground. She remembers the reputation of the Whitebeard Pirates, but is confused at how easy it was. The lead Soldat admits he doesn’t know, since none of the grunts were privy to that information available to the Sternritter. Berenice thinks that either she’s gotten a lot stronger, or the intel was way off. She wonders if their minds were weak, remembering them collapsing from the mental strain from her first tough Questions. Berenice then hears Jozu muttering, wondering whose fault it was Whitebeard and Ace died. Berenice giggles that she can’t answer that, and if they don’t, they’ll die. The Soldat look on in fear, with one whispering that Berenice is scary with her power. The lead states that all Sternritter are terrifying, whether in power or personality. When he’s asked which applies to Berenice, he says both. Bacchus stands panting, ribs broken. Loyd chuckles darkly, saying he expected better from an Ace of a guild. Bacchus snarls that he isn’t done and charges with One Hundred Lights. Loyd grins at the prospect of matching techniques and matches the attack with his own One Hundred Lights. As their palms clash at inhuman speeds, Bacchus yells that Loyd still only has his power, which he can still match. As they near the hundredth strike, Loyd leans to the side and nails Bacchus’s side, opening the Wizard up to the final 10 strongest strikes. Bacchus lands on his back, with Loyd mocking the Drunk Falcon for not being able to beat himself. Bacchus gets to his feet, saying the Sternritter shouldn’t declare victory yet, claiming it’ll take more than a few strikes to bring him down. Loyd gleefully states he wants to see what else his power can do before switching to someone else. Sanji trembles in fear when seeing Kuma cause so much destruction, vividly remembering everything that happened at Sabaody. After a moment, that fear turns into rage for Kuma sending him to his own personal Hell. He literally combusts with rage, cursing that he’s waited to get revenge for two years, ranting that Luffy got Heaven while he got Hell. Karui wonders if Sanji is being literal, since she owes Omoi money if that is the case. Kurotsuchi clarifies that it’s a personal Hell, stating she’s not sure they want to know what it was. They then hear a roar, and they see Jerome shatter the ground and quicklime encasing him. The Sternritter screams that he’s done with letting three pieces of trash beat him, promising to tear them apart and bathe in their blood. Jerome then rips his wristband off, sprouting massive black wings as he turns into a 15-foot muscular beast with tusks, shouting Klamiel. While Karui looks on in horror, Kurotsuchi realizes it’s a Vollständig, with Sanji comparing it to Giselle’s at Worth Woodsea. While Jerome screams about what he’ll do, Karui realizes he’s become nothing but a mindless, feral beast. As Sanji tells the others to get back so he can put the Sternritter down, Jerome laughs that they’ll need more to survive his unstoppable Vollständig. He then lets out his biggest roar yet, sending the three flying with several lacerations. Sanji realizes that the Vollständig enhanced the Roar, with the Sternritter laughing that they’ll die. Kurotsuchi tries to stop him with an Earth Style: Multilayer Wall Jutsu, but the Roar tears right through it. The blast knocks out Karui and Kurotsuchi, and greatly injures Sanji, who curses at the trouble they’re in. Kagura eyes the speedy Kushimaru, who is currently tossing his Long Blade near the ground to bury the wire. She catches on while she deals with two Water Clones. While Kagura is able to easily fend the clones off, Kushimaru chuckles and finishes. The Clones disperse after being struck, and Kagura quickly steps back when noticing the still Mist Swordsmen. He pulls on the Long Blade, pulling the wires up to trap Kagura’s legs with a Ninja Art: Long Blade: Stitching Spider. Kagura calms herself before the wires shatter against her legs, much to the Ninja’s shock. The Wizard explains that it’s the same thing that let her beat Mangetsu, Armament Haki. Kushimaru curses his opponent for making him kill her in a more vulgar manner. When Kagura questions the word choice, Kushimaru states killing people with his wires was artistic and beautiful, and ruined thanks to Kagura. He calls it barbaric to hack apart someone. Kagura narrows her eyes at such lethal desire, wondering if that could have happened to her. Kushimaru states he has no choice but to wrap things up, pointing out the Coalition’s advantage. Kagura realizes that he’s right, knowing the Coalition is gaining ground. The Ninja reveals that among his generation of Ninja Swordsmen, he was the fastest. While he was usually inhibited because of his focus on sewing with the Long Blade, that is no longer the case. He then vanishes from sight and suddenly cuts the Wizard across the shoulder. Zoro and Jinpachi notice, with the latter grinning at Kushimaru letting loose. Zoro sends a Dancing Bird, but Jinpachi is able to defend with an Explosive Blade Jutsu: Exploding Line. Jinpachi leaps up and raises his blade to cut Zoro in half, with the Pirate Hunter raising Shusui in defense. Jinpachi then quickly turns the blade to unroll the scroll. The explosion sends Zoro skidding back. When Zoro calls it a dirty trick, Jinpachi states that there’s no such thing for Shinobi. Zoro sends a 360 Caliber Phoenix, which the Ninja easily dodges. Zoro wonders if he’ll really have to use more than one sword, calling it pathetic to need that against someone who relies on tricks for victory. When Jinpachi taunts that he can do better, Zoro confirms it by sending a Moon Dragon (a tribute to Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō). After Jinpachi is forced to duck, Zoro sends another Moon Dragon. The Ninja saves himself by substituting with a random Coalition soldier who’s cut in half by the attack. Zoro angrily curses the Ninja for doing that to a comrade, and senses for his presence. Jinpachi then quickly surrounds Zoro with another exploding scroll, and uses Exploding Blade Jutsu: Ring of Fire. Gildarts throws a right hook, which is stopped by a Haki-strengthened open palm of Sentomaru’s. The Wizard curses that it’ll be tough, since Crash Magic can’t do anything to Haki. Sentomaru explains that while Crash Magic shatters anything it comes into contact with, it can’t shatter will. Sentomaru takes a sumo stance, coats the other hand in Haki, and strikes Gildarts’ stomach with an Ashigara Dokkoi Shove. Sentomaru takes the time to point out that the Pacifista have turned the battle, saying that the Alliance has lost. Gildarts decides to ignore that, and asks if his opponent even realizes how many people are hurt by the war, or if he even cares. The Wizard proclaims that he won’t back down because this is his home, promising to fight until his last breath or until the threat is over. Sentomaru sighs and asks if he’s considered submission to be better. The Marine states he does not condone bloodshed, saying this could have been avoided if the commands were followed. Gildarts glares at that, wondering if Sentomaru really thinks people would give up their lifestyles if asked, calling the people of Fiore a feisty bunch. He states that if they had rolled over for every threat, Dark Guilds would have reigned supreme long ago, but they didn’t back down against the Baram Alliance. They certainly won’t back down for otherworlders who just want more power. Gildarts throws another punch, but Sentomaru catches it and tightens his grip, resolved to make the Wizard submit. He then wallops Gildarts with a Shutendouji Slam. Orochimaru gives a sadistic chuckle as he removes the Kusanagi from Shunsui’s chest, calling it disappointing from the Gotei 13’s Head Captain. Shunsui mutters about careless, thinking Nanao will be pissed when he gets back. Orochimaru questions the word choice, asking why Shunsui speaks like the Snake won’t kill him. The Soul Reaper chuckles that a single stab isn’t enough to kill him, chastising the Sannin for underestimating his opponents. Orochimaru returns the insult right when a Pacifista appears behind Shunsui and fires the laser at him. Zancrow chuckles over his charred opponents’ bodies, calling them a good time-waster, but stating his goal is Ichigo. He then sees Chōza weakly gripping his ankle, admitting he has spirit, bur saying he should know when he’s beat. Chōza tells him to stay away from Ichigo, and take his own life he just desires to kill. Zancrow laughs, saying that while he kills for amusement, he’s under orders, and Chōza is not important enough to kill. Zancrow sadistically tells Chōza to wait for him to come back after he deals with Ichigo, and kicks him in the face. He scowls before making his way to Ichigo. Kimimaro glowers at Zancrow, and looks at the impaled Killer, who he’ll spare because he has to procure Ichigo. He takes the Flower and removes it from the Pirate and starts to head to Ichigo, hoping to beat Zancrow. Ichigo watches in horror as Kuma knocks out Akatsuchi and Millianna, with Elfman barely standing. The Wizard curses being unable to hurt the Warlord before collapsing. Yachiru pants in exhaustion, barely able to keep up. Ichigo, still weak from injuries, is unable to get up. Kuma calmly states all targets are neutralized, and tells the Act to prepare for the trip. Zancrow pops up, promising to end Ichigo. Kimimaro joins in, protesting that Orochimaru wants him. Zancrow grins, arrogantly saying he doesn’t care at all about the Snake. He states that if the others want the Act alive, he’ll just have to catch them in the crossfire. As he prepares an attack, someone suddenly appears besides the Wizard and slams a Rasengan into his stomach. Kimimaro reacts with surprise when he sees the newcomer. The hero notes Ichigo’s condition, asking if these guys actually got the better of them. Kuma then identifies him. Naruto Uzumaki grins, saying the 5th is here to help. Omake: Acts of Order play Left 4 Dead: Part 2 Luffy observes the starting hospital, and Naruto calls it stupid to go there, since all the bitten went there. Natsu looks at the bright side of having plenty of zombies to kill. Once everyone’s ready, they start to move, and Natsu asks where they’re heading. Ichigo explains they just follow the path laid out. As they move forward, the first group of zombies pops up. While Naruto calls them a cheery bunch, Luffy and Natsu scream for their destruction, and Ichigo tells them to stay together. Once they’re down, the other Acts cheer about how awesome the game is. While Naruto and Natsu muse about how easy the mooks are, Luffy sees a big, ugly zombie coming, gleefully promising to shoot him. Despite Ichigo’s warning, Luffy shoots the Boomer, making it explode and release its attractive goo. They then see a message: Horde coming. Once Ichigo explains what happened, the others start cursing. They steadily mow them down, but the undead just keep coming. Natsu comments that this is getting to be a bit much, with Naruto adding that their new rule is to stay away from Boomers. When Natsu asks, Ichigo lists off Hunters, Smokers, Tanks, and Witches. Luffy misinterprets this as Smoker being in the game, much to the others’ annoyance. Once they get to the safe zone, most of them go into the Safe Zone. Luffy is still wandering in circles, leading Ichigo to the conclusion that the Pirate is the biggest noob he has ever seen (even counting Uryū with Dead Space 3, which ruined the series for him). Later on the next level, things were going smooth (with the exception of Luffy almost getting Ichigo killed by a Hunter and Smoker), until they hear a girl crying. When Luffy starts heading toward it, Ichigo warns him it’s a witch. Luffy dumbly states that it can’t be a witch, but a girl who needs him. Ichigo, out of patience, tells Luffy to go ahead and give that Luffy charm, which completely fools the nincompoop. Despite Naruto trying to talk him out of it, Luffy ignores him and asks if she needs help. At that point, the girl gives a demonic scream, terrifying Luffy. His player is then ripped apart, with Luffy screaming the obvious that it wasn’t a crying girl. Once Louis is dead, Ichigo kills the Witch, with Natsu and Naruto in shock. When Natsu jokes that it’s now Left 3 Dead, Luffy yells for him to shut up. Appearing Characters Ichigo Kurosaki Bartholomew Kuma Kimimaro Zancrow Chōza Akimichi Killer Elfman Strauss Akatsuchi Millianna Yachiru Kusajishi Ikkaku Madarame Kumadori Sakura Haruno Fukuro Neliel Tu Odelschwank Jabra Berenice Gabrielli Jozu Vista Bacchus Groh Loyd Lloyd Sanji Karui Kurotsuchi Jerome Guizbatt Kagura Mikazuchi Kushimaru Kuriarare Roronoa Zoro Jinpachi Munashi Gildarts Clive Sentomaru Shunsui Kyōraku Orochimaru Naruto Uzumaki Omake: Monkey D. Luffy Naruto Uzumaki Natsu Dragneel Ichigo Kurosaki Abilities Magic * Take Over ** Beast Soul: Weretiger * Palm Magic ** One Hundred Lights Jutsu * Shikotsumyaku ** Flower of the Clematis Dance ** Flower * Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu * Earth Style: Multilayer Wall * Water Clones * Ninja Art: Long Blade: Stitching Spider * Explosive Blade Jutsu ** Exploding Line ** Ring of Fire * Rasengan Devil Fruit * Paw-Paw Fruit * Dog-Dog Fruit: Model Wolf Haki * Armament Haki Six Powers * Lion Drill Pistol * Black 10 Finger Pistol * Shave * Owl Thrashing * Solid Beasts * Iron Body ** Strength * Moonwalk * Super Cartwheel Iron Ball * Iron Body Kenpo Weapons * Long Blade * Kusanagi * Pacifista Hollow Powers * Sonido Schrift * the Question * the Roar * the Yourself Vollständig * Klamiel Zanpakuto * Hōzukimaru Techniques * Dancing Bird * 360 Caliber Phoenix * Moon Dragon * Ashigara Dokkoi Shove * Shutendouji Slam Previous/Next Chapters Previous Chapter: Chapter 76 (Fairy Tail Campaign): Ichigo Targeted Next Chapter: Chapter 78 (Fairy Tail Campaign): No Victory Yet Category:Anemones Plains Arc Category:Chapters Category:Fairy Tail Campaign